1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to building structures and storage methods, and more particularly relates to retail store constructions and methods of storing, displaying, and retailing merchandise within a retail store.
2. Related Art
Retail stores typically include at least one room for displaying merchandise items. The merchandise may be displayed on rows of shelves, on stands positioned on the primary floor of the room, on the walls, hanging from the ceiling, or at other locations within the display room such that the customer can view the displayed items from the primary floor. In many retail stores, one objective is to provide the customer with many options so that the customer can make a selection based on different prices, brands, quality, etc. for any type of merchandise. For most merchandise, the customer prefers to view the item up close and sometimes hold or touch the item. For this reason, displaying merchandise on the primary floor and within reach of a customer positioned on the primary floor of the display room is often preferred.
Another objective for retail stores is to stock excess numbers of the displayed merchandise so that a customer request for the item can always be met. A related objective is to store the excess number of items within close proximity to the merchandise display so that the customer can select the item for himself or herself or an employee of the retail store can obtain the item for the customer without the customer having to wait for an extended time period.
Different retail stores address these objectives in different ways. In one example, the excess number of merchandise items are stored on shelves that extend directly above where the merchandise is displayed on the primary floor. This arrangement is common in warehouse style retail stores that have high ceilings. The space above the merchandise displays can be used effectively as storage space for the excess numbers of displayed items. In this way, the amount of floor space is optimized for displaying a large number of items and the excess number of displayed merchandise is stored in close proximity for quick and relatively easy attainment by the customer or store employee.
A drawback of this arrangement is that the person acquiring the item must use a ladder or other lift mechanism to elevate himself or herself. Also, the item being obtained may be awkward in size or shape (e.g., large or bulky) or have a weight making it difficult to maneuver. A still further drawback of this arrangement is that the retail store can have the appearance of a warehouse wherein the room appears to be filled from the floor to the ceiling with goods.
Another example retail store arrangement uses storage of excess merchandise items at a remote location from the area or room where the merchandise is displayed. The remote storage location may be in a separate room on the same level as the primary floor, on a separate floor that is removed from the display room, or in a different building in close proximity to the retail store. This arrangement also provides optimization of the primary floor space for the display of many different items. However, a disadvantage of this arrangement is that large amounts of time may be required to obtain an item requested by the customer and the customers cannot typically obtain the item themselves without significant additional effort.
Yet a further example retail store arrangement, which is, in fact, most common for retail stores, is to store excess numbers of a displayed merchandise item at a location immediately surrounding the merchandise display. Examples of such arrangements include storing excess items on a shelf behind the displayed item or on a peg behind the displayed item also hanging on the peg. In another example, the excess items may be stacked to form a display base for the displayed item. This retail store arrangement does not typically optimize the use of the primary floor space. In fact, when dealing with large or bulky items, this arrangement while providing easy and quick access to the excess numbers of the displayed merchandise can result in a very inefficient use of floor space.
A retail store construction and method of storing, displaying, and retailing merchandise that addresses these and other disadvantages would be an advance in the art.